


The Fourth of July, 1988

by Not Applicable (not_applicable)



Series: My Gen Prompt Bingo Card [1]
Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Family, First Time, Flirting, Fourth of July, Letters, M/M, Mutual Masturbation, Trying to be quiet while fucking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-05
Updated: 2013-12-05
Packaged: 2018-01-03 13:15:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1070879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/not_applicable/pseuds/Not%20Applicable
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>MCU Tony/Rhodey, set during one summer break during their time at MIT. They missed each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Fourth of July, 1988

**Author's Note:**

> A fill for [my Gen Prompt Bingo Card](http://not-applicable.dreamwidth.org/3376.html): #2, **Found Families**. I'd wanted to write something short and heartfelt but it came out longer and much smuttier than intended. That _will_ happen.

Tony walked up to the front door of the Rhodes home and let out a breath, then knocked. He was used to traveling alone but his parents had forced him to hire a driver during his stay in Philadelphia for the Fourth of July. They claimed it was because of the neighborhood but _this_ part of south Philly was nice, and anyway he knew it had more to do with the fact that he tried his best not to tell his parents a single thing about his best friend. He didn't want to hear their disapproval. All they knew was that Rhodey was in the AFROTC and that his mother was a lawyer and lived in south Philadelphia.

Tony hated being at home all summer with his parents, watching them drink and hob-nob and ignore him as usual. He called Rhodey constantly, sent postcards and funny pictures in the mail, wrote letters, and Rhodey did the same. He missed Rhodey so much that he didn't realize he'd signed his last letter _Love, Tony_ until days after he'd sent it off. That was last week and Rhodey would have received it by now. Tony didn't want to think about it.

Now that he was 18, Tony was taking full advantage of his legal emancipation. He didn't even think twice when Mrs. Rhodes called him two days ago and asked if he wanted to come celebrate the Fourth of July with them. He kind of wondered _why_ she asked him to come, but maybe Rhodey had been talking about him, sharing details of their conversations and letters. He hoped Rhodey told her more than all that bad shit about his folks, but mostly Tony just hoped Rhodey said good things about him to his mother.

The door swung open and someone that Tony didn't know answered, and he ignored the tightness in his shoulders and extended a hand to shake firmly. The man shook back and waved Tony into the house, which was rather empty though Tony could hear music and noise coming from the backyard. He'd brought a bottle of champagne with him (made the driver buy it) so he walked towards where he assumed the kitchen would be, and sure enough there was Mrs. Rhodes putting things in the oven while pots boiled on the stovetop, and there was a sliding glass door that showed him a raging party outside on the patio.

“Tony,” she said happily, walking up to him. She hugged him and pecked a kiss onto his cheek, and Tony knew he was blushing. “Thank you,” she said as she took the champagne. “Jim's on his way down, he'll show you where you're sleeping.”

“I got a hotel, actually, so -”

Tony heard footsteps and turned to see Rhodey walking into the kitchen. Rhodey stopped short and gave a confused smile before walking towards them, his puzzled gaze fixed on his mom. “Hey Tony,” Rhodey said, “when did you get here?”

“A few minutes ago,” he said. “Your mom invited me.”

Tony suppressed a laugh at the way Rhodey's jaw dropped at that, but they both straightened up quickly. “Did she?” Rhodey asked, and he finally smiled again when Tony nodded, and he placed a hand on Tony's shoulder.

“You should show him your room since your uncles are staying over tonight in the other guest beds,” Mrs. Rhodes said, and she walked back to the stove. “He'll need to get his stuff from his hotel.” Tony felt his pulse quicken a bit, and he took a few measured breaths.

Tony tried not too look too _aw-shucks_ but he knew he did as Rhodey led him up the stairs and to his bedroom – it looked like a teenager still lived there, there was so much stuff on the walls. AFROTC trinkets and photos, Captain America comics, baseball cards, Digital Underground posters, pictures of Rhodey and Tony at MIT – working in the lab, snapshots from parties, arms thrown around each other's waists, one with Tony's head resting on Rhodey's shoulder and both of them drunk and laughing with wide open mouths.

“I like your room,” Tony said, and he heard Rhodey huff. “No, I do...it looks really lived-in.”

“I don't know what that means,” Rhodey said, and Tony turned from the photos to face him. “You got a hotel room, huh?”

“My parents,” Tony said simply, rolling his eyes. “Last time my dad was in south Philly it was a decade ago and he got mugged. Probably deserved it.”

“So my mom invited you.” Tony blinked a bit but otherwise played it cool. “Why?”

“Don't know. She just called and asked if I wanted to come do the Fourth with you and yours. Said you'd be happy to see me.”

“I _am_ , I just...” Rhodey seemed to freeze up for a moment. “Did she say something?”

“About what?” Tony asked. Rhodey was mumbling and waving him off now, inching towards the door, but when Tony closed the distance between them he stopped. “Wait, wait, what did _you_ tell _her_?”

“Nothing – just, you know, maybe Tony's bored at home, his parents are always gone, he'll probably have to do some company event for the Fourth instead of just hanging out with this family,” Rhodey said, his voice casual and quick though his expression was anything but. “I just wanted you to have a good time this holiday. Let you see how regular Americans celebrate the Fourth. I didn't expect her to actually call you up and invite you, though.”

Tony nodded and they stood in comfortable silence for a moment, Tony slipping his hands into his pockets and rolling up onto the balls of his feet, and the action made Rhodey grin. Rhodey was looking at him, his grin rippling as though it wanted to break open with laughter, but then he said, “She found one of your letters.”

“Which one?” Tony was sure he could guess which one.

“The last one you sent.” Bingo. “Yeah, I was writing you back and she walked in, saw it on my bed, picked it up...thought she mighta...” Their letters were innocent, harmless, nothing to be alarmed over. Rhodey reached over to his nearby desk then and picked up an envelope that was addressed and sealed, addressed to Tony, and Rhodey handed it to him. “I think your driver's still outside. You should go get your stuff and come back.”

Tony was having a hard time speaking so he just nodded and held the letter tightly between his fingers as he walked back downstairs with Rhodey and to the front door, and Rhodey hugged him before he walked out. Rhodey smelled like barbecue, like smoke and molasses, and he whispered in Tony's ear, “Be quick.”

Tony's hands were shaking when he opened the letter in the back of the sedan, but the letter was just like the rest of them – stuff about articles in _Popular Mechanics_ , baseball, “I miss you,” family gossip, plans for his last year at MIT, still on the fence about moving in with Tony off-campus because he didn't want to lose his focus, nervousness about going on active duty post-graduation, stuff like that. But he signed it _Love, Rhodey_.

 

Tony got back to the house to have a beer shoved in his hand by one of Rhodey's uncles, and even though Ms. Roberta (she insisted he call her that) tsked softly, Rhodey was drinking, too. Tony ate chicken and crab legs and steak and shrimp and bacon and pork chops, and they set off fireworks in the yard as the sun set, kids running around and holding rainbow sprinklers high above their heads. Tony knew that his parents were at an event at Stark Industries, a yearly thing with bands and government officials and a family photo op and a speech from his dad and a million-dollar fireworks display. He hadn't called home since the jet landed.

One of Rhodey's uncles was an engineer – a technician for Lockheed, but his real passion was cars. Rhodey's garage was Gearhead Central and the three of them stayed down there for quite a while, tinkering with Rhodey's father's old Coupe Deville. Tony made a joke about installing a JATO into the back end and the other two laughed, but Tony already knew where he could find one (there were four old ones in the corner of his dad's workshop at home) and intended to have it shipped to Philadelphia when he got home.

The city fireworks display was visible from their house and everyone went to the backyard to watch it once night fell, but Rhodey told Tony that they could get to his roof from his bedroom window, so that's what they did. They laid on their backs and said nothing while fireworks lit up the sky above them, shoulder to shoulder and smiling, Ray Charles crooning out “America The Beautiful” from a radio nearby. It was all so cheesy, exactly what Tony imagined Independence Day was like for the average American family. Tony felt as full as a tick and there was music playing, and every time he looked over at Rhodey he saw him smiling at the bright lights above. Tony was having the time of his life.

They were supposed to go back downstairs to have sweets and coffee but they stayed on the roof after the fireworks ended. “What did you say to your mom about me?” Tony asked. “About my family?”

“I said they were jerks,” Rhodey responded almost too quickly, and Tony laughed. “They don't give you the attention you deserve so you act like an ass sometimes.” Rhodey glanced at him but Tony was smiling, and Rhodey seemed relieved. “I told her you're a really awesome guy and you need to know what a family is like.” Maybe Rhodey was drunk, but probably not. “I told her you don't have a real family, and it's not fair.”

All of those things were true, but that wasn't what Tony was wondering about. “I think,” he said, “that you told her you miss me.”

Rhodey pulled his eyes away from the black sky and looked at him. “Yeah, I told her that, too.”

 

*

 

Tony helped with cleaning and packing everything up, and he and Rhodey turned in early together. They left the tv off and sat in silence as they read comics side by side, lying on Rhodey's bed. They snuck onto the roof again and Tony smoked a cigarette while Rhodey watched, but he made Tony go brush his teeth after he was done. Tony also took a moment to put on a t-shirt and heavier boxers for sleeping, and he came back into the room and Rhodey was sitting up in the bed now, still reading but now in his pajama pants. Tony's breath caught in his throat at Rhodey's bare chest, dark and muscled, and Rhodey's glance seemed tense before he directed it back into the comic.

 _Oh fuck this_ , Tony thought. They were being ridiculous. Tony reached back and locked the door behind him, and though Rhodey's eyes left the page for a moment, he still didn't look up.

“Hey,” Tony said, and Rhodey looked at him, watched him cross the room. Tony took Rhodey's comic out of his hand and put it on the bedside table before straddling Rhodey's lap carefully, slowly enough to give Rhodey ample opportunity to shove him off. Rhodey's hands immediately went to Tony's thighs but he kept his eyes averted, Rhodey's breath heavy and his lips wearing that shaky grin again. “Okay,” Rhodey said weakly, thumbs still brushing along Tony's skin. Tony pressed his hands to Rhodey's stomach and ran them up his chest, thumbs catching his nipples and making Rhodey hiss softly. Rhodey's skin was soft with muscles firm underneath, like any jock Tony had fucked around with in the past, but this was different with Rhodey still not looking at him but his hands now tight on Tony's hips, his breath trembling at Tony's touch.

Rhodey slumped a bit further and pulled Tony closer, their crotches brushing now, and beneath him Tony could feel Rhodey's hips arching up at him and his cock firming up in his pajama pants. Tony's body was responding similarly but Rhodey _still_ wasn't looking at him, was just staring at their dicks or his hands or whatever, glancing at the door occasionally, so Tony quietly said again, “Hey.”

Their eyes met and Rhodey looked scared, shocked, his lips parted and his eyes wide and not necessarily warm, but his hands were still kneading at Tony and he was still rolling his hips up into Tony, their bodies hot where they were touching. Tony put his hands on Rhodey's shoulders and nudged him forward, and he was surprised at how quickly Rhodey leaned up off of the bed and kissed him with an open mouth and an eager tongue licking at him. He tasted hoppy and smoky and his hands were on Tony's ass now, and he was sucking on Tony's lips and it made Tony's dick go rock hard against Rhodey's, even through their clothes.

Tony ran his hands along Rhodey's arms and shoulders and his sides, felt muscles flex beneath his touch as he tasted the inside of Rhodey's mouth, sucked on his tongue and hummed into his mouth. The muscles in Rhodey's arms were jumping and twitching, possibly from the thrill of this new thing – not new to either of them but something they'd never done with _each other_ before – but then Tony felt a hand at the opening of his boxers and the touch of cool air against his erection, and he couldn't help himself. He dropped his head onto Rhodey's shoulder, and between them he could see his cock protruding from his boxers and Rhodey's, too, thick and hard and arcing upward from the opening of his pajama pants.

“Fuck,” was the only word Tony could utter when he heard Rhodey spit into his palm, and Rhodey smiled when he whispered, “Shh.” Tony tried to nod but then his eyes closed involuntarily when Rhodey's big hand wrapped around them both. Tony lifted his head again and kissed Rhodey deeply, his hips squirming at that touch as Rhodey's other hand kept him there, kept him still. Rhodey's lips moved down Tony's neck and settled at his collarbone, sucking greedily as Rhodey's thumb swirled around them and made Tony leak, made them both leak, and Rhodey's hand was slicker now, moving faster now.

Tony moaned and Rhodey whispered “Shh,” again quietly into his chest – the house was still full of family and friends even if they had all turned in for the night. Tony bit his lip and closed his eyes, thrust his hips upward into the rhythm of Rhodey's stroke and sighed as quietly as he could. That was something Tony had never worried about before – being heard, being busted by his folks. All of their houses were huge, too huge for noises like these to carry, and it's not like Howard or Maria gave a shit about Tony having sex anyway.

Rhodey leaned back against his pillows and left Tony sitting up, their cocks together in full view between them, slick and hard in Rhodey's hand as he jerked them off. Tony shuddered and wrapped his hand around Rhodey's, changing the rhythm a bit, and he watched Rhodey shut his eyes and sigh harshly at that, writhing a bit beneath him, his cock throbbing now against Tony's. Tony slowed down a bit – seeing Rhodey all blissed out and pre-orgasmic was almost too much for him – and breathed, glancing at the door again even though it was closed and locked. It was kind of sexy, the possibility of getting caught, however slight.

“It's okay, you locked it,” Rhodey whispered, and Tony looked at him again, felt him speed up their stroke again. “Fuck, Tony, come on...” Tony started moving even faster, finding the pace that had almost undone him a moment ago, and now Rhodey was thrusting his hips up into their fists and gripping Tony's ass hard with his other hand, pulling Tony back and forth in his lap with enough strength to make the bedframe squeak just the tiniest bit. “Shh,” Tony tried to say but it didn't come out right at all, his eyes were fluttering shut and his balls were almost painfully tight. Rhodey had moved their hands up to the heads of their cocks and the sensations were making Tony shiver, the sound of it crude and loud in the silence of the bedroom. “Do it, come on,” Rhodey whispered, his hand twisting and his voice ragged, his face misted with sweat and his eyes hooded when they met.

And that's all it took – Rhodey's face and his eyes, his quiet encouragement, and Tony was trembling and shooting onto Rhodey's stomach, and Rhodey was biting back a groan beneath him and thrusting hard into their fists. Rhodey's head dropped back against the pillows when he started to come, and Tony had to shut his eyes against the sight of it, couldn't bear to watch it make a mess all over both of them, Rhodey's face slack but his eyes open and pinned on Tony's, his breath coming in heavy bursts with every wave of his orgasm.

Tony wanted to drop forward onto Rhodey but he didn't – they were both a mess, so he planted a hand on each side of Rhodey and leaned forward to kiss him, their mouths tired and lazy and smiling. Tony pulled off his shirt and wiped them both clean as best he could, then wiped their hands clean before tossing the shirt into Rhodey's open closet. Rhodey tucked them away and Tony slid off of his lap, and they lay side-by-side as they continued to catch their breath and cool off. No one was saying anything but that was okay – Tony remembered that letter, and that meant he had his most important questioned answered in writing now, anyway – so they just laid there in the silence for a while, and eventually someone turned on the television, though they didn't watch it. They laid in bed and kissed, talked about school and maybe living together off-campus since Rhodey was gonna be done next year, and Tony promised not to party too much or distract Rhodey if Rhodey agreed to go out with him sometimes.

 

* * *

 

Nobody seemed suspicious of them at breakfast the next morning. People asked how Tony slept and of course he just said, “Fine,” but beyond that there was nothing unusual. After they were done they went back to the garage and opened the door while they worked on the Coupe, staring out onto Rhodey's street as modest cars and people on bikes rode by – no Aston Martins, no Latino nannies, no publicists or assistants. Just Rhodey's uncle delivering beers to them every now and then and Ms. Roberta making them stop working to have lunch.

They ate leftovers from the day before while they sat in folding chairs in the garage, their clothes stained with grease and dogs barking nearby as they looked out onto the boring street. The most fascinating street Tony had ever seen. Tony kept trying to convince Rhodey to go on vacation with him somewhere, to hop in his father's plane and go jet-setting until they had to be back in Cambridge in August.

“My folks have an island in the Maldives, we can -”

“How about we just stay in Philly for the summer?”

Tony's heart almost stopped and he hoped it didn't show, though he knew it did by the way Rhodey was smiling at him. Tony hadn't thought about that at all. “Yeah.” He'd have to have his clothes shipped out here, and the JATO as well. He wasn't going back to California to retrieve them. “Yes.” Rhodey was laughing now, but Tony wasn't. “Absolutely.”


End file.
